Kyrie Eleison: The Warmth of Spring
by Yin Yang Fish
Summary: Am I destined for Heaven, Hell, or somewhere in between? Lord, have mercy.
1. Forewarning

**FOREWARNING**

Greetings, Megaman X fans. Yin Yang Fish here, and I'm putting up a forewarning. Yes, you read that right. Not a foreword. A forewarning.

Kyrie Eleison, despite how it might seem or look to you, is not an epic fic whatsoever. It is, however, an epic mindbomb. I am writing this because I am intrigued by Mary Sues. I want to write the most mind-blowing Mary Sue stories ever. And that's where Kyrie Eleison comes in.

I will update however I please, and this fic is just for fun. No offense intended. I will, however, butcher canon characters—because lots of Mary Sue stories do that. If you complain and blast this story over being ridiculously Mary Sue, then, well, you're not part of the target demographic, and it will simply mean that I've done my job well.

I'm also using this fic to practice my prose skills. I mean, plotting is one thing, but actually writing is another. It's the latter I need to get better at.

If you understand the above and decide that reading KE is worth your while, then welcome to the ride. Let's have our heads busted together.

…

What? You don't think my brain's gonna melt from desecrating the canon characters for science?

That aside, this is all for fun. No need to take it seriously. Anyways, on to technical details.

Kyrie Eleison has 4 arcs. The Warmth of Spring is the first. Lucielle is my OC. Bash her however you want. She is an intentional Mary Sue.


	2. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

"It is done."

A professor in his thirties declared, gazing at his newest creation. It was his biggest project, commissioned to him by the government. It is, to him, to them, and to the entire world, very important.

"Is that so, Dr. Edelweiss?"

A female reploid with long, split hair responded to his satisfied declaration, with a bored, unamused expression on her face, staring at the just-finished reploid in the capsule that Dr. Edelweiss was sitting in front of.

"Yes, Noelle." Dr. Edelweiss answered, addressing the reploid. "My life's work."  
"You have a long way to go." Noelle remarked. "Isn't it a bit too early?"

"I can feel it in my heart." Dr. Edelweiss determinedly stated. "She is my magnum opus." he continued, glancing at the reploid, who is still asleep inside the capsule.

Noelle chuckled briefly after hearing the professor's declaration. At the age of 36, Dr. Lino Edelweiss is a renowned prodigy and member of the scientific community. He is committed to doing his best every day, putting everything possible into his creations. Noelle, as his first creation, was no different.

She was created to be his personal assistant: Secretary, lab assistant, and bodyguard, all in one. Through all those years living with, and for him, his way of life became hers, and that was why she was always able to outperform every single one of Dr. Edelweiss' creations that came after her. Surely this new reploid, Lucielle, is no different. Just another one to best. Just another chance to prove herself as Dr. Edelweiss' true magnum opus.

"Even though he's the world's best scientist in all of history, Dr. Edelweiss is still young," she thought.

"Well, let's awaken her, shall we?" Dr. Edelweiss said, before he pressed the biggest button on the capsule's control panel. Accustomed to the sight of a reploid's "birth"-Dr. Edelweiss is a productive fellow-Noelle watched Lucielle's capsule open devoid of enthusiasm, in contrast to Dr. Edelweiss who stared intently, looking forward to Lucielle's birth.

Once the capsule was fully opened, Lucielle opened her eyes and looked around; Noelle and Dr. Edelweiss were looking at her. Noelle in particular was wearing a fake smile, a smug one. Dr. Edelweiss was staring at her full of pride and satisfaction.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Lucia. Or should I say, Lucielle." were the first words she heard, from Dr. Edelweiss.

"Lucia? Lucielle?" Lucielle questioned.  
Noelle chuckled. "Never mind him. He's your creator, Dr. Lino Edelweiss. I'm his assistant and first creation, Noelle. And you...your name is Lucielle." she explained.  
"Then...what was it, about Lucia?" Lucielle asked as she sat up.  
"You'll understand later." Noelle answered.  
"I see." Lucielle replied with a smile. "Oh, Noelle. You're Dr. Edelweiss's creation too, right? Then that means...you're my older sister!"

Dr. Edelweiss smiled, glancing at Noelle, who had flinched hearing that. Lucielle was the first creation of his who acknowledged Noelle as an older sister.

"Just like Lucia," he thought, "she's very kind. But then again, she is Lucia reborn."  
"Anyways, you should probably go back to sleep." Noelle suggested.  
"Eeh? You just woke me up, and now I have to go back to sleep?" Lucielle objected.  
"She has a point, you know, Noelle?" Dr. Edelweiss agreed. "Why do you say so?"  
"She doesn't seem to remember or know anything about Lucia, even though the data is all there. Maybe some sleep might cause it to load." Noelle speculated. "This is your first human-to-reploid cloning, isn't it?"

"W-what?" Lucielle stuttered out. "I..."  
"You'll understand later, Lucielle." Dr. Edelweiss sighed. "For now, you need to go back to sleep."

Lucielle nodded nervously and slowly lay back down in the capsule, before Dr. Edelweiss closed it with the press of a button. And then, he walked over to a chair and sat down with a sigh.

"It's not going to be easy, is it?" Dr. Edelweiss remarked.  
"Well, the first time is always the hardest." Noelle assured him. "You're the first ever person to successfully clone a human into a reploid." she continued, smugly remembering the times when she read about professors who tried and failed to do so.

Some of them, who tried to clone from still-living humans, accidentally killed their test subjects and were banished from the scientific community as a result.

"You're right...but what if she...doesn't become Lucia?" Dr. Edelweiss questioned.  
"Lucia is dead. Even though Lucielle is made to replace her, she is not Lucia." Noelle answered.  
"Well...I don't believe that." Dr. Edelweiss objected with a smile. "She's got Lucia's memories, and I...as you said, Lucielle's body was cloned from Lucia's. I guess you can say that Lucielle is Lucia, reborn."  
Noelle just smirked. "I can't say that. It's you who can." she replied.  
"Let's agree to disagree, at least until Lucielle decides on that."

Even with her eyes closed, Lucielle was able to see images-images unfamiliar to her. This is what we refer to as "dreaming".

"She doesn't seem to remember or know anything about Lucia, even though the data is all there. Maybe some sleep might cause it to load." Noelle had speculated.

"Is this what Noelle was referring to?" Lucielle thought to herself as she felt herself running straight in an unfamiliar, dreary place. She then felt "herself" kicking down the door of a cage, revealing a boy with a messy auburn ponytail, sitting with his back against the wall as the light flooded the prison.

"You came." the boy weakly, yet happily stated, as he looked up to "her", showing his face-tired, baggy yet hopeful green eyes, and a big X-shaped wound on the bridge of his nose.

"I promised, didn't I?" Lucielle felt "herself" speaking, smiling at him, before frowning when "she" saw the freshly-dried wound on his face. "What happened?" she felt "herself" questioning him.

"They found out." he answered, his big smile getting crooked as he spoke, tears welling up and flowing down, like his eyes are waterfalls. "So they branded me a traitor. 'X for defective', they said. I don't believe that. To me, X is...a hero."

Lucielle felt "herself" smiling at the boy's courage.

"That's good and all, but we have to hurry." Lucielle felt "herself" respond. "We have to get out of here."

The boy nodded, and Lucielle felt "herself" extending a hand towards him. He took it, and "she" pulled him up. He stood on his feet, revealing cuts and gashes all over his calves, and one or two on his thighs, partially covered by his shorts.

Knowing that he obviously can't run in that state, Lucielle felt "herself" squatting, kneeling with her back facing him.

"Hop on." Lucielle felt "herself" offering.  
"Are you sure? Will I be a burden?"  
"No, you won't."

After Lucielle felt "herself" uttering those words, she opened her eyes, gazing at the brightly-lit ceiling of Dr. Edelweiss's laboratory.

"Finally woke up?" Noelle spoke to Lucielle, who nodded.  
"Was that...Lucia?" Lucielle sleepily stuttered out.  
"What do you mean by that?" Noelle asked. "What did you see?"  
"I just...felt myself doing things I felt I never did. But...it really was my voice, whenever I spoke, in that dream. I...is that Lucia?" Lucielle elaborated.

"More like, it was Lucia." Noelle huffed out. "Lucia's dead."  
"Then, I..." Lucielle replied.  
"You are Lucielle. A reploid made to replace Lucia, cloned from her body. We even loaded her memories in, because her brain was salvageable." Noelle explained.

Lucielle tensed as she heard that. "Salvageable", she said. And...Lucia had died. And then, the boy in her dream. Were the ones who cruelly scarred him and Lucia's murderer the same people? Actually, do they even deserve to be called "people"?

"What's wrong?" Noelle asked her, her eyes wide with concern. "You're sweating bullets."

Snapped out of her train of thoughts, Lucielle flinched. Having heard what Noelle had just said, she wiped her sweaty forehead, sweeping her bangs to the side.

"Thank you." Lucielle mumbled. "Where's Dr. Edelweiss?"  
"Off to bed." Noelle answered. "I'm in charge of watching over you."  
"I see..." Lucielle replied. "Noelle, what do I do now?" she asked. "I'm so confused. I just woke up and I have so many questions already."

Noelle bit her lip. As much as she wants to answer everything, she doesn't want to overload the newborn reploid. Piling Lucielle's head with too much information at once will psychologically overload her, and it might lead to a messy existential crisis. She might just...go maverick.

It won't be good for anyone. Not for Lucielle, or Dr. Edelweiss, or Noelle herself. It won't be good for the government or the general public, or the Maverick Hunters; all of them had, with all their hearts, wanted the beloved detective to be reborn, and that's why they commissioned Dr. Edelweiss to build Lucielle. Lucielle's death would sadden everyone the same way Lucia's death did.

Of course, as a reploid created to, and sworn to serve and live for Dr. Edelweiss, the late detective Lucia Michella Harson doesn't have any significance to her, as Lucia did with most everyone. To the world, Lucia was a hero. Defender of the weak and needy, with a gentle, compassionate heart.

"But in the end, it proved to be her undoing," Noelle thought.

"Noelle?" Lucielle asked. "You're spacing out."  
"Ah." Noelle blurted out. "Sorry. I was thinking. There are no video games or toys in here for you. I don't know..."  
"Can I...learn how to fight?" Lucielle asked, cutting her off.

Hearing what Lucielle said, Noelle flinched. "Why this, all of a sudden?"

"I did see Lucia's memories. And in those memories, I saw a boy with a big scar on his face...somebody cruel did it to him. I...I want to defend people from that kind of cruelty. I also want to save him."

Noelle sighed. She did see the location, since, along with Dr. Edelweiss, she was responsible for observing Lucia's memories to see how much was salvageable. Only the more recent ones were. Either way, the boy in Lucia's memories was held by an organization called Red Alert-an organization too powerful for even the police to deal with. However...

"The Maverick Hunters will take care of it." Noelle answered.  
"Then, can I join them?" Lucielle asked.

Noelle sighed again. It's true that she will be given to the Hunters, so it would be great if she actually wants to join. This should be a good thing, but for some reason she has a bad feeling about it. Nevertheless, she faked a smile.

"Then this is good. We are to give you to the Hunters, so it's good that you want to join them. But you can't just choose who you want to save. They'll be the ones telling you what to do." Noelle explained, the fake smile still on her face.

"You say it's good, but you don't seem to be happy about it." Lucielle remarked, narrowing her eyes.

Noelle smiled a crooked smile-Lucielle had found out. It's time to tell the truth...

"I'm worried." Noelle confessed, truthfully. "You were just born. You're not even a day old, and then you're just going to fight your life away."  
"I'll be fine. Lucia was, right?" Lucielle replied.  
"No, she wasn't!" Noelle snapped. "Those memories you saw in your sleep? That was the day she died."

Lucielle gasped, and Noelle sighed. Of course, one had to take the reason Lucia died into consideration. "She was human. Humans are more fragile than reploids, so you'd survive things Lucia couldn't. But it's still worrying." Noelle added. "You're still so young."

"Well, I'll learn. I have to start somewhere. Otherwise, that poor boy will rot alone in that prison." Lucielle declared, before pausing.

Noelle had just said that the Maverick Hunters will take care of that problem. If they do take care of those kinds of problems, surely that boy would be okay by now, right?

"Is that boy okay?" Lucielle asked.  
"I don't know." Noelle answered. "I don't keep up with Maverick Hunters' updates. Usually they don't broadcast rescues unless it makes for a good news story."

Lucielle gritted her teeth. Is the organization she's going to be working with really this materialistic?

"Then what about if the rescued people have families?" Lucielle questioned. "Even if their rescue doesn't make for good stories-"  
"Regardless of that, the families and friends will be notified no matter what. And if the rescued person's story's making its way to the media, it's always with their and their family's consent."

Hearing that, Lucielle sighed in relief. She will be helping, and working with good people.

"They're good people. Right?" Lucielle remarked, and Noelle nodded in response.  
"Then they'll take care of me, right?" she continued.  
"Yeah. They will." Noelle affirmed, even though the bad feeling remained.  
"So there's nothing to worry about." Lucielle assured.  
"I guess so..." Noelle sighed.


	3. Chapter 1: Leaves

**CHAPTER 1: Leaves  
**

"We're going to just continue fighting?" X yelled, slamming his stack of paper on his desk, the slamming sound filling the office, and tension followed as a few of the Maverick Hunters staff members flinched in response.

In reaction to the outburst, Signas heaved a weary, groan-y sigh before folding his arms. "X, that outburst was uncalled for." he flatly stated. "And yes, it's our job to fight for the people who can't fight. It's right there in our name."

"So you want reploids to continue this accursed cycle of destruction?" X growled.  
Signas heaved another sigh before answering. "That is not our concern. We are to focus on keeping society safe."  
"How can you say that?" X screamed, slamming his fist on the desk. "Violence only breeds violence!"

"So you'd rather the mavericks kill everyone, because you don't want anybody here to fight?" Zero chimed in, sniping at X. "I disagree. Actually, what the fuck is wrong with you, X? What, have you really gone maverick or something?"

X just gasped while Signas rolled his eyes.

"If you don't like what we do, then you can just get out. Nobody's forcing you to stay. In fact, if you are just going to do nothing but tell us how wrong you think we are and how right you are, get your spitty ass out of here. We're getting a better replacement anyways." Zero ranted, sneering.

Both X and Signas covered their mouths in response to Zero's rude rant. However, Signas regained his composure before X, because in his heart, he knows that Zero was right.

Ever since Sigma went maverick, sowing the seeds of distrust between humans and reploids, the chain of robotic violence had been a constant threat to the world. It mellowed down for a while after, ironically, the worst display of reploid violence, the apocalyptic Eurasia crisis. Instead, both species focused on rebuilding the world for years. But it seemed that the relative peace period wasn't meant to improve-it was probably never meant to even last.

Nevertheless, it was the duty of the Maverick Hunters to keep the world safe, to dirty their hands and risk their lives so that the rest of society doesn't have to. It's indeed a noble duty, but it's also a duty that can take everything from you. So it's natural to perceive, observe or conclude that there will always be a shortage of people with both the heart and soul of a true maverick hunter, whether they are a hunter or not.

Detective Lucia Michella Harson was one of them. She wasn't a maverick hunter-she wasn't even a reploid, yet she died like a true maverick hunter. And as a tribute, the world had decided to give her the second chance she deserves, as a reploid in the Maverick Hunters. However, not everyone was keen on the idea...

"Don't you dare." X hissed at both Zero and Signas. "That was why she died."

"You don't understand, X. Maverick hunters don't hide in their rooms afraid of death. The moment you become a maverick hunter, you know you're going to live for society so they can live. Even if we do die, we live on in the hearts of the people." Zero declared, fondly remembering his fallen comrades, but especially the love of his life, Iris. "I thought someone as passionate as you would understand, more than anyone else." Zero spat, folding his arms.

"You are romanticizing death and destruction, and that is what I can't understand, or support! Fighting is killing!" X insisted.

"Enough!" Signas shouted. "Zero was right. It is our duty to protect the people, even if we need to sacrifice a few. And if you feel you don't belong here because you don't like the work that we do, there's no one stopping you from leaving." Signas explained.

"Fine." X spat. "I'll prove all of you heartless brutes wrong. Lucielle is not going to become one of you."

"Yeah, and she'll prove you wrong." Zero sneered. "Now fuck off."

A few days later, news of X's retirement was broadcast all over the world. Many people reacted with horror, disbelief, and disgust. Dr. Edelweiss was one of them.

"Oh, how could he? This world needs him!" he remarked, grimacing at the television screen.  
"It's his decision." Noelle replied.  
"It's going to affect us! There's only one thing we can do."  
"Um...what might it be?"  
"We need to send Lucielle to the Hunters."

Noelle gasped.

"But, Professor! We haven't completed her tests! And we haven't even performed the combat test!" she argued.  
"This world is more important. I trust Lucielle. She's a strong girl."  
"What if...what if she dies like Lucia? What are we going to do then?"  
"She won't."  
"How can you be so sure?"  
Dr. Edelweiss responded with a chuckle. "You don't trust me, Noelle?"  
"I...Professor, I do. But...we're people. We make mistakes sometimes. And we also need other people to prevent us from doing anything stupid. So..."  
"I don't think this is one of those times, Noelle. I believe in Lucielle. Do you believe in me?"

Noelle stared at Dr. Edelweiss, unsure of what to answer. But before she was able to say a word, the door of the room opened, revealing Lucielle.

"I...I heard everything."  
"Eavesdropping is impolite, Lucielle." Noelle reprimanded, her tone stern.  
"I'm sorry, but...please, give me this chance! I want to join the Hunters! I want to help people!"  
"Of course, Lucielle. You heard me, didn't you? So there's no need to worry." Dr. Edelweiss answered with a smile, before stepping towards Lucielle to pet her head.

Noelle gritted her teeth for a few seconds before returning to her usual calm demeanour.

"Alright then, it's decided." she declared, smiling. "Come, Lucielle. We've built special armour for you."

Dr. Edelweiss giggled, happy that Noelle finally understands…or so he thinks. He followed Noelle, leading Lucielle by the hand.  
Upon arriving inside the room where Lucielle's armour was kept, Dr. Edelweiss directs Lucielle to change from her laboratory gown to the armour.

"See that capsule over there? You just need to enter, close the door from the inside and activate the armour manifestation system."  
"Yes, Prof!"

Lucielle followed his directions, and emerged in her armour a few minutes later.

The armour was light yellow and deep sky blue with black accents. The shade of blue in particular matches her bright, beautiful eyes. On her head was a headband with a pair of elegant, ice blue crystals on each end, one crystal from the pair covering each of her ears. She doesn't have a helmet, however, her short brown hair allowed to swish free.

The shoulder armour was a ball-model, and is coloured blue, with light yellow horizontal lines around each shoulder. The breastplate covered the upper part of her chest, exposing her voluptuous breasts, which were covered by light yellow strap-bodysuits. The straps form a V, which eventually met below her chest and held by a black strap-bodysuit which wrapped around her chest. The yellow straps continue down, exposing her navel and held by a light blue belt with yellow lines, continuing again to form little ribbon-like sashes.  
The belt itself holds a blue back-skirt in place.

The other elements composing the "bodysuit" involve a black underwear-lookalike which covered her crotch, and black thigh-high stockings with light blue lines on them.

Her elbow and knee guards compose of the same ice blue crystals seen on her headband. Her arm guards and boots are thin and sky blue. The feet of her boots are accented with ice blue crystals, one on the upper front of each foot.

She looks like an ultimate warrior princess.

Dr. Edelweiss smiled. "What do you think?" he said as he gave her a mirror.  
"We…well, we wanted to make your armour using the best materials, and only the best materials. Naturally, it's expensive, and the government can only give us so much money. The Professor paid for some of it using his own money." Noelle sheepishly explained.  
"Ooooh! It feels so comfortable, and…I like it so much! Noelle, Prof…thank you so much!" Lucielle replied, her face beaming with joy.

"You're welcome, Lucielle. But we don't have much time. I need to give you a quick tutorial on how to use your weapons. Noelle, please call the Maverick Hunters and tell them that we're taking Lucielle there tonight. Hopefully they can arrange her room and she'd have mostly settled down by tomorrow."  
"Alright, Professor."


	4. Chapter 2: Blossom

**CHAPTER 2** **: Blossom**

Shortly after Noelle had called the Hunters, the whole of Maverick Hunters HQ reacted with the utmost elation. The return of Det. Lucia Michella Harson was indeed a cause of celebration, especially considering how much they need her after X's retirement. Signas decided to stay up all night, all so that he can meet the resurrected heroine in person.

At 10PM that night, Lucielle finally arrived with Dr. Edelweiss and Noelle. Signas, Zero and Alia were there to greet them.

"Good evening, Hunters. It is with pride and joy that I present Lucielle to you." Dr. Edelweiss said, gesturing at Lucielle.  
"Good evening!" Lucielle greeted them with a beautiful, bright smile.

Signas, Zero, and Alia all smile back. Det. Lucia had worked closely with the Hunters, and she was always so spirited and full of energy. Of course Lucielle would be no different.

Noelle smiled a small, forced smile. "Please take care of her. She hasn't finished all her tests yet, but Professor Edelweiss has decided to send her to you in this emergency situation for the greater good."  
Signas chuckled. "Oh, no need to worry. X's retirement is very unfortunate. I'm very thankful that she is good enough to be sent here right now."  
"I've briefly introduced her to her weapons. You can test her combat capabilities anytime." Dr. Edelweiss stated.  
"We can do it tomorrow. I think she needs to familiarise herself with HQ first." Signas responded.

Lucielle grinned. "That would be nice, Commander, but I think it would be better if I finish my testing now. I want to see what I'm capable of." she said.  
Signas frowned. "Are you sure, Lucielle? It's going to be tough."  
"I'm positive."  
"Well, good to know she knows what's up." Zero remarked, chuckling afterwards. "If she's sure, why not? Let's go."  
"Yes, Sir!" Lucielle beamed, and follows Zero as he walked towards the training room.

Signas, Alia, Dr. Edelweiss, and Noelle stared at them.

"Well, she seems to be doing well." Signas remarked with a smile. "I assure you, she'll be fine."  
"I'll still observe how it's going, though, just in case I still need to make a few adjustments" Dr. Edelweiss replied, a worried expression on his face.  
"I'll be here to take notes." Noelle added.  
"Alright then. If that's settled, let's go. We don't want to miss anything." Alia chimed, before leading the other three.

Meanwhile, in the training room, Lucielle had already readied her weapons—dual buster-sabers; busters with sabers installed on them, like a gun with a sword-sized bayonet.

Zero whistled. "Wow. That's the coolest weapon I've seen all my life. Haha, it's as if you can replace both me and X on your own."  
Lucielle giggled sweetly at the remark. "Oh, no, Zero-senpai, not at all. You're a veteran. I'm nothing compared to you or X."  
"Trust me, you're better than he is. Let's get started."

"Wait!"

Alia called out to them from the entrance. Dr. Edelweiss, Noelle and Signas were standing behind her.

"We need to take notes on your performance. Lucielle's, for obvious reasons, and Zero's, because we all know that you've been overworked after X up and left without the necessary one-month notice" Alia stated with a sigh.  
"I'm fine, Alia."  
"No, Zero, you're not. If all goes well, Lucielle will be your partner, replacing X."  
"Are you serious? She may be talented, but she's still a newly-built reploid! And given the rising crime rate and Red Alert causing trouble, that decision will put her in great danger!"

"Red...Alert?" Lucielle blurted out, "The name...rings a bell...argh!"  
Lucielle hunched down, clutching her head, trembling.

"Oh, no!" Noelle cried out.  
"What's going on?" Alia asked.  
"It seems to be triggering her memories! After all, it's because of Red Alert that she..." Signas remarked.

Signas stopped speaking when he noticed that Lucielle had stood upright. However, her head was still hanging down.

Dr. Edelweiss heaved a weary sigh. "I'm sorry, everyone. I made the decision too fast. It appears she's still unstable, probably because of the circumstances of her death or the fact that she was just awakened this morning. I'm very sorry...we'll be taking her back."

"No!"

Lucielle shouted, jerking her head upwards. Startled, everyone else jumped.

"Lucielle, you're unstable. You can't continue." Noelle said.  
"I have to fight. I'm ready. I can't back down!" Lucielle replied, her eyes filled with determination, shining like stars.  
"Noelle, Dr. Edelweiss. I have to agree with her. She has unfinished business to attend to. It is not our right to interfere." Signas stated.  
"Alright, you two. You may begin." Alia declared.

Upon being given the cue, Lucielle dashed towards Zero and tried to slash his head with her yellow saber. Zero narrowly dodged it, and got away with a small cut across his cheek.

"Holy crap." Zero commented, wiping the blood off his face.

"You're open!" Lucielle shouted, firing a blue charged shot. It moved quickly like a soccer ball kicked by an ace shooter. Zero had little time to react, and the shot destroyed his chest armour, and he was launched across the room screaming. He hit the wall with a loud bang before falling face-down to the floor.

Zero got up to kneel, and started coughing blood, as Lucielle walked towards him, saber drawn. When Zero looked up, he ended up staring at the sharp end of Lucielle's yellow saber.

Everyone in the room fell silent for a few minutes.

Both Alia and Noelle weren't able to take notes before it was over.

"Well, I guess that settles it." Signas declared, his smile full of satisfaction.  
"Zero...you definitely can't work alone anymore. Not after this." Alia remarked, shaking her head.  
Zero laughed in response, as he sat up.

Lucielle deactivated her weapons with a smile. "Prof! Noelle! See? I can do it!"  
"Lucielle, I'm so proud of you!" Dr. Edelweiss beamed.  
Noelle sighed. "I think you overdid it, though..."  
"Oh!" Lucielle cried out upon noticing Zero's damaged state. "Zero-senpai, I'm so sorry!"  
"No worries, Lucielle. You showed me that you have the will to fight. That is most important." Zero responded, grinning happily.  
"Oh, alright then!"

Signas cleared his throat.

"Well, now that everything's all good...Lucielle, welcome aboard."

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** I can feel my brain melting like a wedge of cheese thrown into a red-hot furnace. How about you?_


	5. Chapter 3: Seed

**CHAPTER 3: Seed**

A few days later, Lucielle was found to have marvelous combat and strategic prowess. She aced accuracy and strength tests in addition to case studies. Her capabilities is of the level of S-ranked hunters.

"I guess it's carried over from her experiences as detective." Dr. Edelweiss remarked at the perfect, record-breaking test results.  
"Lucia was an independent detective, after all. She helped us solve so many cases. We wouldn't know what we would have done without her." Signas replied.

"I suppose...I can leave her to you now?"  
"Yes, Professor. You have our deepest gratitude."

Dr. Edelweiss smiled widely.

"Take care of her."  
"Certainly."  
"Thanks for everything, Commander. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact us." Noelle said.

Meanwhile, out in the city, it was a bright, beautiful day. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming...just the perfect weather for a game of catch.

"Catch!" a big reploid in purple and red called out to a human in a dimly-lit room, throwing a bag.  
The human caught it and opened it, and grinned maniacally at the contents.  
"Yes!" he cheered upon seeing the severed head of an old man inside the bag. "Finally, the old man is gone. Time to wait for the inheritance!"  
"Don't forget our share. We didn't get rid of his personal bodyguards for spare change."  
"Yeah, Red, got it."  
"If you weasel out of it, you'll be joining your father."  
"Yeah, yeah. See you later."  
"What, no tips?"  
"I haven't inherited anything yet, you know."  
"Hahah. Kids like you should be burning in Hell. But we're not complaining. See you later, bozo."

Red then stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, to find that the rest of the Red Alert generals were already waiting for him.

"No tips?" One of his generals, a blue fish-like reploid, questioned.  
"Nope."  
"Ah, dammit. I was the one who dived after the guy when he jumped off the cruise ship. He should have tipped me."  
"No sweat, Warfly. You can shake it out of him once he got the inheritance. For now, I need to go beat the kid."  
"You're going to go beat Axl again?" another one of Red's subordinates, a pig reploid, questioned.  
"He almost cost us the job, Boarski. The old man was right in front of him, but he didn't shoot. If Warfly didn't act fast..."  
"Why bother?" another general, an anteater reploid, remarked. "The brat is too stupid, Red. Even a donkey is smarter. No matter how much we beat him, he never learns."  
"Anteator, that's correct. But even if he doesn't use his brain, I can still use some stress relief."  
Another general, a massive onion reploid, giggled. "Oooh, scary!"  
"Damn right, Tonion. That's why you don't piss me off. Maverick hunters, police, detectives, stupid kids...I'll make them regret it."

A few hours later, Red had returned to his base, and visited a cell holding an auburn-haired boy reploid.

"You know what I came here for."  
"No, please don't!"  
"Begging won't do you any good. You brought this upon yourself. You nearly cost us this job."  
"That old man didn't do anything wrong. He didn't deserve to die. I couldn't kill him!"  
"I don't care. You did wrong for disobeying orders, so you deserve a beating."  
"No...no...no! Get away!"

A few seconds later, ear-splitting screams echoed in the dungeon. A few hours later, Red left the boy, who was lying in a pool of his own blood.

When Red left the dungeon, Anteator proceeded to enter, approaching the boy.

"You've wasted our patience, time, and resources long enough, Axl. Be thankful that we don't know how to take your copy chip and install it to someone else." Anteator grumbled as he repaired the boy, who sobbed the entire time.

When he was finished, Anteator left without saying a word. After a few minutes lying on the ground, Axl got up and grinned as wide as his still-aching face could manage.

"He didn't lock the door."

That night in Hunters HQ, X was running around in the hallway, looking for Lucielle.

"Hey, I just mopped that spot!" one of the cleaners yelled at X, who just ran past him.  
"Whoaaaaa!" X screamed as he fell on his bottom with a loud bang. He ran so fast and was so focused on finding Lucielle, that he didn't listen. The cleaner groaned in response.  
"Gggrrr...if you mopped right, it wouldn't have been so damn slippery! This is an outrage! A workplace safety violation! I'm going to report you!" X ranted at the top of his lungs  
"Hey, I already put up a bright yellow sign. Are you blind or something?"

X turned to his front, and his eyes met the "cleaning in progress" sign.

"Running in the hallway is an actual workplace safety violation. I should be the one reporting you."

"Please, don't!" Lucielle said as she walked towards them. "Mister, please forgive him. He must been dealing with an emergency...or a bad day. So..."  
"Oh, Lucielle! What brings you here?" the cleaner said, his expression brightening at the sight of her.  
"I heard a loud bang, then there was screaming. I was worried, so, yeah..."  
"Lucielle, there you are! I've been looking for you!" X said.  
"Oh, so that's what it was all about. Must be something important. Alright, then, X, I'll let you off. Be more careful next time." the cleaner said before he left to mop somewhere else.

"Um...you were looking for me?" Lucielle asked.  
"Yes, Lucielle. It's X, remember? We worked together a lot!"  
"I...but I just joined the Hunters. And I was just built..."  
"You...you don't remember?"  
"No...at least not yet."  
"That's...that's a shame. But listen to me, Lucielle...don't be a maverick hunter. They're all violent brutes."  
"Why? They protect the people, don't they?"  
"With violence! It only breeds more violence! Remember all the cases you helped us solve? Murders, thefts...all the culprits had reasons for what they did! If we had just chosen the way of peace-"

X's speech was interrupted by a siren.

"Attention, all maverick hunter personnel! There is an emergency in Abel City! Lucielle and Zero, come to the command room immediately! I repeat, Lucielle and Zero are to come to the command room immediately!" Alia announced over the intercom.

"I have to go." Lucielle said, "I'll see you later, okay?"  
"Lucielle, wait-" X said, but it was no use. Lucielle had already run down the hallway to the command room.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** I'm sorry to all X fans. Except...maybe not. Or...maybe yes. Hehehehe...that was satisfying. Painful, but satisfying. Don't worry. I have an explanation as to why X was behaving like that with Lucielle, beyond the premise of the story. Kind of. It is, but is not at the same time. _  
_Hehe...for a self-started game, feel free to point out the Mary Sue tropes you spot. Or any references to other media. Guess what game I had played recently? Hehehehehe..._


	6. Chapter 4: Sprout

**CHAPTER 4: Sprout**

Axl ran around in Abel City without any clear direction. All he wanted was to run as far away from Red Alert HQ as possible. He doesn't know where to run exactly, anyways. Being imprisoned for most of his life, if not all of it, can have that effect on a person, after all.

"Your kindness...your bravery...I'll never forget it...!" he murmured to himself. Memories filled his mind, driving him to continue on. He is filled with determination. The detective lady who went out of her way to rescue him had died trying to free him from his crimson prison. She gave her life for him. She did her very best. He has no reasons to give less than his best.

"I couldn't even ask your name...but I'll always remember you. Your sacrifice will not be in vain!"  
Axl talked to himself, each declaration filling him with determination as he continued running. Never mind the passersby looking at him funny. They obviously need to mind their own business.  
Suddenly, the ground shook. The roads descend into chaos as motorists struggle to maintain control of their vehicle and position. Pedestrians start running, bumping into poor Axl. The stampede was too much for him, and he eventually fell.

"What...?"

He struggled to get up as the stampede continued. Some people from the crowd nearly stepped on his hand.

"Haha...hahahaha...ha...people...really are garbage. She's the only one...who got up to help me...I can't rely on anyone except myself. If only she was here...hahaha..."

When he finally managed to get up, he looked back to see what caused the ruckus in the first place. His eyes widened when he saw a massive red scorpion mechaniloid. Axl's teeth chattered. Its appearance can only mean one thing. The beating from a few hours ago still fresh in his mind, he screamed at the top of his lungs and ran as fast as he could. His voice alerted the scorpion to his position. Its pincer swiftly moves to grab him, and...!

And then the pincer falls, just behind Axl.

Hearing the thud from the fall, he looked back to find that it had just been sliced...by a beautiful, brown-haired hunter with stunning blue eyes. Axl's own deep blue eyes widened upon meeting hers.

"I...it's you!" he beamed with the happiest expression his face has ever made. "You...came back to life?"  
"We have...met before, right? You were so hurt and alone..." she replied.  
"Yes! We have! I'm sorry I'm so weak...but together, we are strong!"

Their chatter was interrupted by the mechaniloid's awful screeching.

Without wasting a second, the hunter fired her buster at the mechaniloid's sting. It was vaporized upon impact, leaving only smoke. Axl grinned at the sight. The detective lady was always the one positively extraordinary thing in his extraordinarily miserable life. She never dissapoints. Nothing can ever get the best of her. Remembering that he brought his guns with him after seeing her shoot the mechaniloid's stinger off, he manifested them and shot its head. However, his shots are too small. It didn't do anything. If only his guns were bigger...

His feeble shots only angered the mechaniloid. It swiped its remaining pincer at Axl...!  
He braced for the impact...but nothing happened. To him, that is...

"Angel...!" he cried out. Lucielle was caught by the pincer! Its grip was hard and the pincer blades are sharp, but the straps covering her body weren't affected. It was made of the best materials, after all. However...

"You're bleeding. You got hurt protecting me again..." Axl sobbed. "I'm so sorry...I can't do anything...I'm useless..."  
"It's okay...I'll handle this."

Lucielle then sliced the pincer that was holding her. One slice was enough to disconnect it from its owner. But even after being dismembered thrice, it wasn't defeated!

"Oh, no! What do we do?" Axl questioned, sweating bullets.  
"Our best." Lucielle replied with a smile, her buster drawn and fully charged. She released the shot, and it hit the mechaniloid's head. Finally defeated for real, the mechaniloid exploded.

"Problem solved!" Lucielle beamed. "Come on. Let's go together."  
"Yes!"  
"Um…you're not wondering where?"  
"I trust you. I know you'll never lead me astray."  
"Alright then. Alia, please teleport us back to base!"

"Hold up, Lucielle…who is that boy? Why are you taking him?" Alia asked. "We don't know him, or the ties he has to that mechaniloid you just defeated."  
"That mechaniloid was trying to get him. He must be related, somehow."  
"But still…we don't have a strong enough proof that the mechaniloid really was after him, or it was merely because it was out for blood."  
"Even if he isn't…he's still a key witness."

Alia smiled at her response. Truly, Lucielle is still the legendary independent detective, reborn or not.

"Very well, then."

They arrived right inside the entrance lobby of Hunter Base and walked towards the security scanner. It scanned Axl's guns and the security officer confiscated them as per safety protocol. Lucielle is a hunter, however, so her weapons don't get confiscated. After he confiscated Axl's weapons, he cuffed Axl with a pair of massive handcuffs.

"Um…" Axl spoke up. "I'm not gonna run off, so could you take this thing off? It makes me feel like a criminal…"  
"FEEL like a criminal?" the security guard hissed.

"He-hey, stop it!" Lucielle cut them off. "He's innocent!"  
"But…Lucielle. Do you have any idea what he's done?"  
"Wha…"

Axl hung his head. Will the detective lady who sacrificed her life to save him, the only light in his dark, dark life scorn and shun him like the others? Just because he was enslaved by evildoers who don't seem to have any regard for life?

"What are you talking about? He's obviously done nothing!"  
Axl made a very happy face upon hearing Lucielle's answer. Truly, she's the only light in his life. The security guard paused with his mouth slightly agape. He then sighed.  
"You're new, after all…I'll let the others tell you."  
Axl swallowed. It's not over yet. But still, he needs to have faith. If his saviour casts him away…what else is there to live for? What else is there to maintain his own self for?

"Can you take the cuffs off?" Lucielle asked.  
"I'm sorry, Lucielle, but I can't. I'll get into trouble if I do it, even if you tell me that you'll be taking responsibility for it."  
"Ah…I see. I'm…I'm sorry for asking that of you." Lucielle replied, hanging her head.  
"Hey, no problem. You're just too kind. Go on, now. Signas and co. is waiting for you."

Lucielle nodded and walked ahead, with Axl following her. As they walked down the long corridor, many hunters stared at them. Some of them shot Axl dirty looks. Others stare at Lucielle in awe. One of them whistled offensively at her, but she didn't notice. Axl did, however, and shot him a death glare. The offending hunter looked away immediately. After they got to an area where there isn't a lot of people, Axl spoke up.

"So…your name is Lucielle?"  
"Yes. And your name?"  
"My…my name's Axl."  
"Why was…that thing after you?"

Axl tensed upon hearing that question. Lucielle's expression turned into one of worry.

"I…I saw you…full of wounds. What happened? What did…what did Red Alert…do to you?" Lucielle asked again, her head starting to spin as she spoke the third sentence.  
"A…aaaah…"  
"Axl…"  
"I'd…rather talk about it…when we're both alone." he replied, as they stopped, having arrived in front of the door of the command room.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Noooooooooooooooooo...ooooooooooooooooooooooone...writes like Gaston! No one plots like Gaston! No one destroys Axl's character like Gaston! For there's no Suethor here half as crazy! As you see, I've got brain bombs to spare! I'm especially good at IQ-destroying! _

_..._

 _Wait, wrong show.  
Alright...big Big BIG BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG apology here to Axl fans! I am an Axl fan myself, so I know what makes him appealing and what makes him...well, Axl. I took it apart. Destroyed it. Distorted it. Hanged it, drew it, quartered it, and skewer it with a pike, before parading it around town. This chapter was harder to write than the rest, mostly because I could barely handle destroying Axl's character and turning him into an absolute nightmare. But for science...I need to march on. Feel free to point out the Mary Sue tropes you notice. c;_

 _Somewhat related...in Ch3, Axl reacted like a helpless child when Red came to beat him up. It originally wasn't that way. When I first typed, he came out as a badass who was used to the beatings. He talked back to Red, outright saying "I don't care" when Red threatened him with physical abuse while meaning it wholeheartedly, and telling him that he won't give in, as opposed to screaming in fear.  
It would've been awesome...but I can't have that. Not in this story. Ehehehehehehe..._


	7. Chapter 5: Uproot

**CHAPTER 5** **: Uproot**

Axl and Lucielle entered the command room, where Alia, Signas, Zero, and X were waiting for them. Upon seeing Axl, X's eyes burned with rage.

"So you're the one who caused all this trouble!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, pointing at Axl, who flinched at the aggression his "hero" directed at him. His teeth chattered.

"I guess...I guess so. I had...no idea they'd sent that kind of gear after us..."  
"Gear? Who's after you?" X questioned, his tone getting higher.  
"I...left Red Alert. Believe it or not...I'm a hunter." Axl answered, still meekly.  
"Red Alert? You mean that gang of wannabe vigilantes?" Signas questioned.  
"Do you realize how much damage your internal bickering has caused?" X replied, his anger barely held in.  
"I...I'm so sorry. But I...I had to leave. As for what happened...as a result...that's the way it goes...I'm sorry-"  
"That's the way it goes? Do you have any idea...!" X yelled at the top of his lungs. His rage numbing his mind, he was unable to finish his sentence or find any words to say. All he saw was red. His face was stuck in a hellishly angry expression instead.  
In response to feeling the massive amount of vitriol directed at him, Axl yelped and reflexively hid behind Lucielle.

"X!" Lucielle yelled, her eyes sharply fixated on X, who jumped when he heard her authoritative voice. "Do YOU realize how much damage your temper has caused? Look at this poor boy!" she continued, gesturing at Axl, who was hiding behind her.

X's eyes widened, his face turning fearful as he tensed. Signas sighed at the botched questioning. Alia covered her face with her hand, shaking her head. Zero clicked his tongue and glared at X.

"Axl...please, tell us why you left? Surely you didn't mean anything bad." Lucielle gently asked.  
"I...I was always...abused by Red Alert. They used me. They beat me when I refused to kill their targets. I was resigned to my fate...but then...you...Lucielle, you came to my rescue, so I...I can't...disappoint you..." Axl answered, sobbing the more he spoke. "Not after you gave your life for my sake..."

Lucielle bit her lip.  
"I...the last time I saw him in my memories...he was held inside a cell. He's important to them, somehow, even if he doesn't like it. They're going to come for Axl, no doubt."  
"This is our chance. Red Alert has caused us far too much trouble." Signas declared.  
"H-how can you say that? If we fight, we'll fall right into their hands! We can't allow this madness to continue..." X argued.  
"B-but X...they...they'll kill many people...if we don't kill them! You...you don't like victims or casualties, right? X...I believe in you-" Axl pleaded, remembering how X was lauded as the most compassionate reploid since forever.  
"That's quite enough! You need to back off and pay the dues for your crimes!" X yelled at him, slamming his desk. Axl shrieked in shock and grief.

Compassionate? Really? He never saved anyone, as far as he's concerned. Has X ever jumped in front of him to prevent him from making the choice between killing the target of the day and enduring a beating from Red for not killing? Has X ever tried to save him, the way Lucielle did?

Knowing the answer, Axl's dark blue eyes turned blank and hollow. The look remained even as a sudden static sound filled the room. Everyone was surprised, including Lucielle. But shortly after looking at the monitor, Lucielle glanced at Axl, and widened her eyes in surprise when she saw the look on his face. X and his flaming temper had broken him.

As the transmission image clears, Lucielle grit her teeth.

"You getting this, hunters!?" a low male voice sounded from the monitor that displayed his face. "I am Red, leader of your friends here at Red Alert. I never imagined our little friend would end up in your hands, but in any case, I want Axl back. Now, don't you worry. I know he won't come back easily. So how about this? Like you, we are hunters. We've trashed our share of Mavericks. So how about a duel? A duel to determine who the real maverick hunters are. I'm sure you won't mind if we use the Mavericks that we've captured so far. So, the last one standing wins! If we lose, we'll surrender Axl to you. And if we win? Well...we'll leave that to your imagination!"

X clicked his tongue. "You've got to be kidding. Axl has nothing to do with us. We won't fight the likes of you for his sake."  
Axl smiled widely at X's reply, and started chuckling to himself.  
Red smirked evilly at X's refusal. "Well, pretty big talker, for a retiree! We could care less about deadbeats like you. We just want Axl. He IS there, isn't he? Now you just sit tight, my boy. Ahahahahahah!"

"They're already on the move. Mavericks are showing up across the map! I'll check for damage." Alia declared.  
"Axl...are you okay?" Lucielle asked gently. The poor boy has dealt with more than enough today.

Axl only laughed mirthlessly as tears streamed down his face. Everyone stared at him in response. No one expected it, after all.

"I'm tired...so tired..." Axl stated as he manifested one of his guns in his hand, de-manifested his helmet and moved the gun up his temple-  
"Stop it!" Lucielle cried out, slapping the gun away from his hand, acting quickly to save his life. The gun was launched away, falling a few distances away from him.  
"Ha...ha...why...? Is this life...worth anything? All I cause is pain, sorrow, trouble...I'm a demon child. Just let me die—"  
"No! Every life is worth SOMETHING! Including yours. I believe in you. Do you believe in me?"  
"Lu...cielle..."  
"If you've got nothing to live for, live for me. Alright?"  
"Ha...hahaha...ha..."

Axl took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and gingerly hugged Lucielle's arm before sobbing quietly.

Zero sighed. "Well, this is turning into a real mess."  
Lucielle looked up and looked X in the eye. "X, you said he needs to pay his dues, right? So, make him a maverick hunter! Axl and I make a great team, and together we could take care of Red Alert!"  
"But...Lucielle...he has no business as a hunter! If he had just gone back, the problem would have been solved." X objected.  
"These aren't run-of-the-mill criminals. They won't listen to reason. And even if Axl did go back, which he won't, would they stop their misdeeds? I don't think so." Lucielle argued back. "Besides, how dare you? You KNOW they abused him. Are you heartless, or what?"  
"I concur." Signas stated.  
"Me too." Alia added.  
"X...what's wrong with you?" Zero questioned. "The X I knew wouldn't have said something so callous."  
"I...I always thought X and Zero were cool. I...wanted to become like them. Be maverick hunters. I let Red take me in because he said he could make me just like you guys. But...it's over now. It's all over." Axl confessed, his tone of voice getting progressively lower. "Let's go, Lucielle."  
"Yeah. We can't waste any time. I'll be with you all the way, Axl." Lucielle replied.

"Lucielle! Wait! I'm sorry...to Axl, too, I..." X said, reaching out a hand to them.  
"Talk is cheap. Prove it to me first." Lucielle spat as she left, her hand in Axl's.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** No one shits on canon characters like Gaston! This chapter was another hard one, because I was basically borrowing-erm. Ripping lines off the script, another Mary Sue trope. I'm not used to writing on borrowed lines. No, using Mary Sue tropes does not mean you're a Suethor. Using enough of it does. I think I took it to a new, horrifying level. I didn't only borrow it, I also desecrated it to defile the canon characters further and push Lucielle up. also gratuitous, unchanged copypasta for red bc lol he isn't important he's just there to be vilified and die.  
Anyways. I forgot to point out in the last chapter's author's notes that Axl's eyes are blue because I decided to go with the XCM concept. It's not *dark* blue in XCM either, I just did it to distort his design. I've uploaded all the designs of them I've made so far on dA, but I need to tidy up the profile before I announce it all to you guys._

 _Anyways. Axl and X's sanity slippages mirror my own. I hope that, by writing it out, I can throw it out. Apparently, I can throw out bad vibes by writing them into stories. I didn't use to have a short temper. But after a bunch of bull happening to me, I developed one not unlike what you saw X exhibited. And Axl's...well, I'd rather not say.  
Anyways, Axl was supposed to not have much of a background, as a trope I used, but...it looks like a change of plan is for the better.  
_


	8. Chapter 6: Sparrow

**CHAPTER 6: Sparrow**

It was a bright afternoon. Lucielle was driving a motorboat in the ocean, with Axl, who wasn't very familiar with Hunter tech despite being a high-tech copy reploid himself, sitting behind her.

"Is this the first time you've ridden a vehicle?" Lucielle asked gently, her voice sweet and vivacious.  
"Yeah! It is. It was a bit scary at first...but I trust you. You've been driving really well." Axl replied, smiling brightly.  
"I'm glad. I don't get to drive very often."  
"I wish...we don't have to reach our destination."  
"Hehe...but we have to, Axl. That's what we came here for."  
"Yeah...I need to make Warfly pay."

Axl's bright, happy eyes dulled when he saw that they were getting close—after all, the life rafts were within sight.

...

Life rafts? What life rafts? It's impossible. But...

...

It doesn't matter.

Eager she might be to finish the mission and help the soldiers in the rafts, Lucielle decides against speeding. Axl was sitting there behind her. She can't surprise him.

"There were survivors?" Axl weakly remarked. "I never thought..."  
"Ummm...what exactly...do you mean?"  
"They're all cruel, Lucielle. They don't care about the lives of others. Warfly wanted to hijack the military ship, right? He'd have killed everyone in there. But there are survivors..."  
"They're trained soldiers, Axl. I'm pretty sure they were fast enough to escape."  
"I suppose so. But even then, the whole of Red Alert are mavericks. They enjoy killing. Warfly would've deployed his soldiers to hunt them down or something."  
"In that case...we can't waste any time. Come on. Let's ask them what happened."

Axl only nodded in response, not saying another word, as Lucielle sped up to get to the life rafts faster. She then stopped in front of the rafts.

"Oh! It's the reborn detective, Lucielle! We're saved!" a soldier from the raft at the front exclaimed happily.  
"Oh, it's nothing...what happened? Please tell us." Lucielle replied.  
"We were patrolling the waters like normal, when suddenly a gang of reploids in strange, menacing motorboats sped up at us. We fired all the cannons at them, but they were really quick." another soldier elaborated, trying his best to keep a straight, professional face. "Soon enough, they threw grappling hooks at the ship and started climbing. We shot some of them down, but the ones who made it must have been really hardy and fast...others shot our comrades dead before they could even shoot...it was horrible. Then...they started...shooting everywhere...killing everyone they saw...all we could do was run...we left some of our comrades behind...!"

Axl just smirked when he heard the soldier's story. Comrades, friends, brothers, sisters, family...it's all a lie. It's shallow. Superficial. In the end, in this cut-throat world, it's every man for himself. People will tell you, "When you need anything, I'll be here" only to turn back on that notion when you really do need something. You really need to choose who to give yourself to. People...are horrible.

"I'll do what I can. For now, you need to run." Lucielle ordered.  
"Yes, Ma'am!"

Lucielle sped up towards the battleship, with Axl holding on to her. If there are people being left behind, she can't waste any time. She stopped in front of the battleship, just as she saw two soldiers cornered by a maverick pointing a blade at them. Lucielle quickly drew her buster and shot the maverick right in the head. The precise, powerful shot destroyed it, and the maverick fell dead. One of the soldiers looked back to see where the shot came from, and grinned.

"We're saved!"

Lucielle grinned back at them, and turned back to try and get the toolbox, when Axl stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. Their faces being so close, Axl turned bright red. They were just inches away from an accidental kiss. Lucielle giggled at the sight.

"What is it?" she asked.  
"Um...I can hover. I can fly up there and...carry you while I'm at it."  
"Oh, that's neat! Sure, Axl, go ahead."

Axl then gently carried her. She wasn't heavy-no, far from it. She was just so beautiful up close that he can't help but feel nervous. After all, she's warm, soft, and smells nice. He's never touched a girl before. Is he supposed to feel dirty? But it doesn't matter. He wanted this anyways. So up he went, carrying her bridal-style while she held on to him closely. When they reached the edge of the ship, Axl put her down gently, and Lucielle stepped up gracefully.

"You guys can use our motorboat down there. Are there other survivors?" Lucielle said.  
"No...we're the only ones." one of the soldiers replied.  
"Thank you very much!" said the other.  
"Use that to get down." Axl said, pointing at the rope ladder on the ship floor. "Let's go, Lucielle."  
"Wait...you said her name was Lucielle?"  
"Yes, I'm Lucielle. What is it?"  
"It's you! The legendary detective! We've all dreamed of meeting you...we'll always remember this!"  
"Thank you...please, be safe, okay? We'll take care of the mavericks for sure." Lucielle said, giving them a thumbs-up. The soldiers nodded, before leaving the ship to board the motorboat.

"Alia, I hope it's not too much trouble for you go teleport us later." Lucielle said.  
"No problem, Lucielle," she responded over the comm, "You did the right thing."  
"Neat. Let's go, Axl!"

Axl nodded as they ran towards the deck of the ship. It was splattered with blood and the bloody, mangled corpses of the murdered soldiers were spread around the area. The reploid shipmates were cuffed, sitting and lying down around the deck.

The sound of their footsteps alerted Warfly's men, who showed themselves. They were carrying weapons looted from the ship's armory, and they smelled of human blood.

"Hey, pipsqueak!" one of them called out to Axl. "Not man enough to face us, huh?"  
"That's why he brought a babysitter! He's still a stupid kid! Hahahahahaha!" another said.

Axl gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists...but then Lucielle drew both of her busters and shot both of them in the head, killing them instantly before they could react. The others grimaced with fear and whimpered like dogs.

"You are all despicable cowards. You love stepping all over people, but run away when someone your own size comes into the picture. You all...need to die!" Lucielle roared.

Lucielle's spirit and energy driving him, Axl drew both of his guns and opened fire on Splash Warfly's army, alongside Lucielle, who took them down, two at a time, with her powerful busters. The cuffed reploids watched the scene happily, knowing that they will be saved. It wasn't a battle. It was a just massacre. No one, not even the ones who tried to run away, escaped Lucielle and Axl.

After the area has been cleared of mavericks, Lucielle and Axl approached the rescuable reploids and released their cuffs. Overwhelmed with happiness, they gave both hunters all the upgrade chips they have on them before being teleported by Alia.

"Let's go, Axl," Lucielle said, "There might be other survivors hiding inside the ship."  
Axl nodded, and they went inside.

It was empty. Only corpses filled the room...but not for long. The sound of them opening the door and their footsteps alerted Warfly's men. Cackling, they stepped out of the ship's rooms and pointed their weapons at Lucielle and Axl.

"Hahah...it's about time we get rid of you."  
"I knew it was useless to keep you around."

Axl gritted his teeth at their mean comments. He gripped his gun tight, but just as he held it forwards, Lucielle had already opened fire, head-shotting one of the mavericks, who immediately fell dead.

"Too weak to fight your own battles, huh, little brat?" another taunted, yelling.  
"Don't get cocky just because you've got her with you!"

Axl let out a battle cry and shot one in the head. However, it didn't instantly kill the maverick. It simply burned a small hole on his forehead.

"Heh heh, told you you're useless."

"Shut your mouth," Lucielle responded, "If anyone's useless, it's me...!"

Lucielle opened fire on the mavericks, killing them all, each with one shot, before they had any time to react. After the job was done, she hung her head and gritted her teeth.

"Lucielle..."  
"If only I had gotten here faster...these people wouldn't have died...!"  
"But...there were survivors. It's okay."  
"No, it's not! They saved themselves..."

Axl was about to reply when he heard beeping and an announcement from the ship's computer.

"Self-destruct in 3...2...1..."

Without saying a word, he grabbed Lucielle, and ran for the deck. He jumped into the water and swam away, ending up a few distances from the ship just as it exploded.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** No, as much as some of you might wish I did, I didn't abandon this fic. I was just having a few difficulties writing this chapter. I was conflicted between half-heartedly writing the actual in-game mission, but it would be a drag for both the writer and the reader. Also, let's play yet another game of "Spot The Mary Sue Tropes!"  
The next chapter will be the fight against Warfly. Sit tight, folks, for more brain-bashing!_


	9. Chapter 7: Breeze

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Muehehehehe! Thought I abandoned this story? Well...let's just say I got sick for some time and then decided that I wanted to focus on my other projects, given that I really nitro'd the hell out of writing this thing. After some time away, I'm now ready to deliver the doses and doses of brain-bashing. That said,_

 ** _WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!_** ** _WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!_**

 _This chapter is NOT for the immature or faint of heart. If you are easily triggered or scared, ESPECIALLY if you're a girl, proceed at your own peril. I am not responsible for any severe mental scarring that might be caused from taking the contents of this chapter seriously._ _  
_

* * *

 **CHAPTER** **7** **:** **Breeze**

After tirelessly swimming in the open ocean while somehow carrying Lucielle, Axl was finally able to find a big piece of debris. He placed Lucielle on it first before climbing on it. His heart stopped when he saw that she is unconscious.

"Lucielle! Lucielle!"

He screamed as he shook her. Of course. She was based off a human—well, she is a resurrected human, right? Of course she'd be more susceptible to the physical shortcomings of humans, unlike "pure reploids" like him.

"I was stupid, so stupid...!"

Axl whimpered to himself as he gently shook Lucielle's face, holding it by the cheek, to get her to wake up.

"I...I killed her again..."

Tears started to flow down his face as the revelation hit him. However, he didn't give up. He kept on searching for ways to undo his mistake. She's not fully human, right? Surely there's something he can do, right? Something, surely he has something...?

He dug his mental archives. What is there to see...? Beatings, verbal abuse, constantly-moving goalposts, unnecessary fits of anger, and bits of light.  
Light...

"I see...so they drowned a human, huh?"

Her voice was as clear as when he heard it that time. How long has it been?

"Yeah...Warfly did it. He grabbed the poor human and then just...dived and dived...and held down the human. When he's dead, he got back up to the surface with the body. The client...wanted the dead body..."

He remembered weeping after he told the detective the full story. Her presence was a blessing. If he ever cried in front of the Red Alert members, it would earn him either a slap in the face or a painful remark, depending on the mood of whoever witnessed it. He could truly be a person when he's alone with her.

She gently placed her hand on his shoulder as he cried. She just sat there with him in silence until he stopped crying.

"Hey...do you know? When humans accidentally swallowed too much water, like if they're submerged for some time, you can save them."  
"Eh? How...how do you do it?" he replied, his eyes lightening with astonishment.  
"CPR. It's simple. All you do is just..."

Those treasured memories never failed him.  
Axl kneeled in front of Lucielle, propping himself with each arm. He gently positioned himself, and leaned close to Lucielle's face. Maybe this time, he can be the one to save her. Even then, it's not purely him. She told him all about it. But hey, little steps make the journey, right? One day, he'll be the prince charming.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain on Axl's back. Something threatened to push him down. The pressure was strong, even if it lasted a second or two. Fortunately, he was strong enough to hold his position. Axl's first instinct was to stand up. Robotic fluids flowed down his back, trickling down his legs. The pain on his back remained. But it was nothing compared to the seething hatred in his heart that burned when he saw the person in front of him.

"Warfly...!"  
"Hahah, did I kill the moment? I'd honestly rather kill you, though. I've been waiting for you, traitor."  
Axl angrily removed Warfly's naginata that was embedded in his back. "Ah, you coward! Oh well...it's not like I liked Red Alert anyways."  
"Prepare to feel pain! I hated you from the very beginning!"  
"Well, that makes two of us!"  
"Why you brat! You'll pay for this!"

Warfly dashed forwards, and quickly snatched his naginata off Axl's hands—he was just literally stabbed in the back, and was slightly reeling from the shock—before kicking Axl on the stomach. It was hard enough to launch him far enough for him to land in the water.

His wound burned even more. The sudden spike of pain made him panic and he splashed around like a dog. But still, he tried to paddle back towards the debris. Meanwhile, Warfly walked towards the unconscious Lucielle.

"Heh heh...what a shame she has to be the enemy. So beautiful..." He remarked as he gazed lecherously at Lucielle from head to foot. He seemed to be focusing on her torso. He then moved his focal point to her crotch.  
"Maybe just a bit of playing around won't hurt."

Warfly gingerly lowered his naginata as he grabbed the ends of the black underwear-like portion of Lucielle's bodysuit, intending to cut it. He was so engrossed in what would happen after the task that he—

"Gah!"

He dropped his naginata when Axl held him in a strong choke-hold. He pressed his arm against Warfly's neck as tightly as he could, as if his life depended on it.

"Let go, god dammit!" Warfly yelled.  
"Never...ever...ever!"  
"You...brat, always...getting in my way!"  
"I won't let you hurt her!"

All the ruckus caused Lucielle to open her eyes. She was immediately treated to the sight of Warfly struggling in Axl's grasp. She then looked to her side to find Warfly's naginata. Thinking quickly, she grabbed it and immediately sliced Warfly's legs clean off.

"AAAARGH!" Warfly screamed.  
"Whoa!" Axl yelped as he stumbled backwards—Warfly suddenly got a lot easier to choke.

"Axl!" Lucielle called out, standing with Warfly's naginata in hand. "You...saved me!"

Axl grinned widely in response.

"GRAAAAH!" Warfly roared, having the tables turn just after his perceived victory.  
"Stay there, Axl. Just hold him in place." Lucielle instructed. Axl wordlessly complied.

Lucielle walked up to the two of them and sliced Warfly's hands. He screamed in pain, but no one other than Lucielle and Axl could hear him.

"You see what you've done to the soldiers now?" Lucielle lowly questioned. "Axl, let him go."  
Axl let Warfly go. The moment he did, Warfly just dropped like an inanimate object, clearly in too much pain to struggle. Lucielle then walked towards Warfly and chopped his head in a single swipe.

"Lucielle! We did it! I'm so happy!" Axl cried out as he hugged Lucielle.  
"Yes! Yes, we certainly did!" Lucielle answered as she returned the hug.

Even if they were a bit cold from being underwater for some time, the embrace was still warm and pleasant. It was one of the few things that they would like to stay forever. After what seemed like an eternity, Lucielle pulled away to find that her palms were bloody. It wasn't bloody before. And she didn't exactly wound Warfly with her bare hands.

"Axl...are you okay?" Lucielle asked.  
"Never better!" Axl replied, still beaming from being able to save Lucielle for the first time.  
"You're wounded!" Lucielle stated, gasping.  
"I don't mind. I protected you."  
"Oh, Axl..."

Lucielle was distraught. Axl's smile disappeared. Did he do something wrong? He protected her. He prevented Warfly from hurting her twice over. But why—

"You got hurt protecting me...I'm sorry I'm so useless..."  
"No, Lucielle. You're not. You've always protected me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now."  
"I...thank you, Axl, thank you so much...let's go home now and get that healed."

Axl nodded and flashed Lucielle a big grin again. Seeing happiness in perhaps the first time reflected so radiantly on his face, Lucielle returned the grin with her own sweet smile as Alia teleported them to HQ.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** As part of creating the worst Mary Sue story ever, I incorporated a now-nearly-unseen trope: Villains desiring the Mary Sue to the point of attempting rape. Of course, it'll be foiled by the love interest, and it will be one of the few opportunities he'll get to be the badass he was supposed to be in canon, if not more. And oh, can't forget Suethors sneaking every. Opportunity. For touchy-feelies between the Sue and the love interest. How's my brain-bashing after so long? Have I improved? Regardless, I still intend to play Dance Dance Revolution with nerves as the dance mat. But of course, it's all in good fun.  
_


	10. Chapter 8: Dew

**CHAPTER** **8** **:** **Dew**

After both Lucielle and Axl arrived in Hunter HQ, they were to immediately report the outcome of the mission.

"Great job, you two," Alia announced, "You rescued both the human soldiers and the reploid sailors."  
"It was nothing, really...the soldiers were strong. It's not because of us..." Lucielle replied, deflecting the compliment.  
"Well...you gave them the motorboat. That was very thoughtful." X argued.  
"We didn't need it. There's Alia." Lucielle replied.  
"Not everyone is as thoughtful as you, nor does everyone have as much faith in professionals as you do, Lucielle." Signas responded.  
Axl nodded without saying anything.

"And you were great as a team, retiring Warfly like that." Alia continued her report.  
"Axl saved me. When the ship exploded, that was the first thing he did." Lucielle remarked, Axl blushing in response.  
"I guess he is not all bad." X mumbled.  
"He's quite strong for a kid, I'll give him that," Zero commented, "Sure, he's not the toughest guy in the world. But his force of will is one-of-a-kind."  
"It's just love." Axl remarked.  
"Pardon?" Alia asked.  
"Oh, um...nevermind." Axl said.

"Well, that aside, Alia, doesn't he need his wound healed? It's very bad..." Lucielle questioned.  
"He certainly does." Signas added.  
Alia nodded. "That's true. I guess this is it for the report. The signal was good, so I was able to see how everything went. I'll go call the medics—"  
"Wait!" Lucielle said, reaching out her hand for a "stop" gesture, "I'll help him get to the medbay."  
"But Lucielle, aren't you tired? Besides, I still need to talk to you." X said.  
"Holy shit. X, are you serious?" Zero questioned.

Lucielle frowned at X. "Axl's wound is more important. Warfly threw his naginata at him while he was protecting me. I would've been wounded the same way without Axl. I owe him. Besides, I can't leave him alone in the base. The poor boy is all alone...he's all alone without me."

Axl's eyes lit up.

"It looks like he agrees." Signas remarks.  
Alia chuckled. "Well, then you two better be on your way. We need you two to be in top condition for tomorrow."  
"What's tomorrow's mission, Alia?" Lucielle asked. Signas just smiled. Just like Lucia. She was always enthusiastic to help more people and vanquish evildoers.  
"One of the Red Alert mavericks, Flame Hyenard, had taken over the Lava Factory. It's a dangerous place, and we dread to think of what he can do with it." Alia explained.  
"Got it. Let's go, Axl."

Axl nodded without saying a word, and he smiled when Lucielle took his hand in hers. Without wasting any time, they leave the command room, the door shutting behind them.

"Are you okay? Does it still hurt?" Lucielle asked.  
Axl smiled. What a thoughtful person. So warm, so caring...oh, he should really respond. Daydreaming when tired might result in passing out. "I'm fine. It hurts, kind of...but it's okay, because you're here."  
"If my presence makes everything better, then I'll stay with you until tomorrow." Lucielle responded, smiling sweetly.  
Axl's cheeks turned light pink. "Y-you would? In the medbay?"  
Lucielle shook her head. "Nope. In my room!"  
Axl turned red as a tomato. "Wh-whaaat? But a boy and a girl in one room is—"  
"Oh, it doesn't matter!" Lucielle replied before giggling. "It's more important that I get to take care of you better. I'm an S-class too, you know? So I have more amenities in my room, like my own deluxe first-aid kit. That way, we don't have to deal with the medbay suddenly running out of supplies. Besides, I can patch you up. I'm a pretty good medic, myself."  
"Oh...hahaha. That's right. You're so smart."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Axl let go of Lucielle's hand, stopped and spoke up.

"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you. This is the reason I ran away from Red Alert."  
Lucielle stopped and turned towards him. "Hmm?"  
Axl glows and suddenly morphs into a green reploid. "'Cause I can copy the shape and abilities of reploids." He said before he changes back to normal.  
"But it's far from perfect," he explained, "Even with the copy shot, I can only copy the form of reploids my own size. For the rest, it's only possible to copy their abilities."  
"Wow, Axl, that's impressive! So I'm guessing that's how you sneaked past everybody?" Lucielle exclaimed.  
Axl grinned. "Hehe. You're absolutely correct."  
"Where did you learn such a skill?" Lucielle asked.  
"Heh! That's the thing, even I don't know where I picked this up." Axl responded.  
"Hmm...strange. How could you not know?"  
"Dunno...I don't remember. Red found me, and I...I..." Axl tried replying, but trailed off when he got to an...uncomfortable point.  
Lucielle frowned, and moved to hold Axl's hand. The gentle, comforting warmth was just the thing to snap him back to reality. He turned towards the source of the warmth—both in his hand and in his life—and smiled.

"It's alright, Axl. I'm here with you now. Let's go to my room together. I don't suppose they've given you a room yet."  
"Mmm, you're right..."  
"You can stay with me. It won't be a problem."

Meanwhile, back in the command room, Alia sat on her desk, typing up the report. Signas overviewed the circumstances relating to the next mission against Hyenard. X sat on his desk in silence, while Zero leaned against a wall.

"Why exactly do you need to talk to Lucielle?" Zero asked, turning towards X.  
"And why exactly are you asking me that?" X answered. "It's obvious."  
"You don't want her in the Hunters."  
"Who would? She died exactly because of—"  
"You're trying to do all this because you've forgotten what being a hunter is all about." Zero cut X off.

"Boys," Alia called out to them from her desk, although her eyes never moved away from the monitor, "I don't want a fight in the command room."

Both X and Zero heaved weary sighs in response.

"Regardless, X," Signas spoke up, "You have no right to stop her, the same way we have no right to stop you."  
Zero shrugged. "She's a powerful reploid now. Why would you want her to stop? Unless...you like her?"  
Alia giggled. "I knew there was a reason why he didn't like her being around Axl."

X's only response was to tense as he turned bright red.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. oh my lord. I really outdid myself this time when it comes to subconscious writing. I let my subconscious write, typing whatever comes to mind with little to no filter. I wanna see how well I can pull off bashing brains and stepping on nerves without scrutinizing my every step. I think I did well enough. I used a pretty lot of Mary Sue tropes here. I'm also quite amused and impressed by how well I could work the script into my actual writing and not cringe, as well as how much of the script I ripped off.  
_

 _..._

 _Well, okay. This chapter was supposed to be just the first "cutscene" after defeating the first maverick boss in X7, but I massively. Padded it because the cutscene is unbearably short to adapt on its own. Also, I love how I degraded the X7 maverick bosses by simply calling them "mavericks." They're Red Alert's generals, and obviously, Axl's family. But hey, this is a Mary Sue story! HUAHUAHUAHUAHUAHUA!_

 _As some of you might have known, I have a little depraved side in me. I can't get it out at home where there is family. I can't get it out at work in front of co-workers and superiors. It's even too spicy for most of my friends. But when I write, I feel that I can release all the pressures and fears of being seen as a freak. I can write mind-numbing things and unleash (relatively harmless) hell and go "MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA" and I can trust that the target demographic will know what they're doing, waltzing in a land where the ground is Dance Dance Revolution dancemats made of nerves-including my own. I mock-gagged writing this at some point, and I internally screamed countless times._

 _But did I enjoy it? After seeing the hell I just unleashed, boy, am I satisfied. And I hope you enjoyed reading this too. Feel free to let me know. I would be happy to know that I'm not alone in this._

 _now excuse me while i kneel and beg the canon characters for forgiveness. i have desecrated them so. but i'm not stoppin._

 _THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE EVEN WORSE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
_

 _*cough cough hack*_


	11. Chapter 9: Bloom

**CHAPTER 9: Bloom**

Lucielle and Axl arrived in Lucielle's room, and she immediately helped him sit on a stool-like chair. The cushion is soft, but it doesn't have a backrest so that Lucielle can treat his back. She takes out her big deluxe first-aid kit before examining Axl's wound.

"It's quite deep..." she remarked. "Well, let's get that armour off. I have an armour auto-repair capsule. Your armour should be fine by tomorrow morning if we put it in there."

Axl nodded with a smile. His armour de-manifested from him and manifested in a pile beside the chair. He then tried to get up, but Lucielle stopped him.

"What's wrong?"  
"Um, I'm putting my armour away, to the capsule."  
"It's okay, Axl. You're injured. Don't move. Stay there, and I'll do it for you."

Lucielle smiled sweetly, radiantly, as she placed a gentle hand on Axl's shoulder, helping him sit back down.

"Why don't you take your bodysuit off too? It'll regenerate in the capsule, too."  
"Wh-wha..."  
"You...you bled quite badly, and obviously, the blade tore the cloth of the suit, so..."  
"Ah...ahahaha...yeah, you're right..."

The bodysuit disappeared from Axl's body and re-appeared on the pile of armour. Lucielle picked up the heavy pile without any trouble and carefully places them neatly in the capsule. She closed it and activated it, and waits until the monitor displays the time required for the armour to return to top condition.

TIME REMAINING: 08h 38m 19s

"Oh...we'll need to sleep on it," She remarked, "No problem. But...the only damage you took was that backstab. And this capsule is top-quality; it's the fastest one out there. Why does it take so long—"

Lucielle found her answer when she turned to look at the topless Axl. His body is covered in scars and bruises. The torso in particular has the most scars, but his limbs are also covered with scars, some older than others. He still has his underwear on, but no way is she going to look there. Besides, if he was ever hit there, he probably doesn't want to remember that event.

"Oh, Axl..."  
"D-don't look..."  
"You must've been through so much. Come here, you can tell me all about it while I patch you up."  
"I-I'm pathetic...you don't need to know..."  
Lucielle shakes her head. "Axl, whatever Red Alert said to you...it's not true. I know they insult you and belittle you every chance they get...it's not right. If you're pathetic, you would've killed yourself a long time ago. You would've looked for the easy way out. But you persevered."  
"Lu...Lucielle..."  
"So it's okay. Please tell me of your battle scars...my hero."

Axl was quiet at first, but then his cheeks turned a light pink and he flashed Lucielle a big, happy grin.

"Alright, my princess!"

She took out a sterile cloth from the first-aid kit, and soaked it with alcohol to clean Axl's wound.

"This is going to hurt a little bit, but I'll be gentle." Lucielle said. Axl nodded without a word. "While I'm at it, maybe you can tell me your story so you can relax better?"

"Well...it started with Red finding me. The details were fuzzy...but he said my facility was attacked by mavericks." Axl spoke, stopping to grit his teeth when he feels the sting of the alcohol coming in contact with the wound whenever Lucielle gently tries to clean it.  
"Mmhmm...and...then?" Lucielle replied as she threw the cloth away and took another.  
"He said he'd make me a hunter. A maverick hunter...like him. Haha...if anything, he was probably the one who attacked the facility himself."  
"I see..." Lucielle said sadly as she carefully soaked the new cloth with medicine.  
"But of course, stupid little old me didn't know anything. So...so I came with him."  
"And...then?"  
"Well...they made me kill reploids with my ability at first. Ow—they said that I'm making the world better, one dead maverick at a time. They treated me so well. I was happy. They said I was their ultimate weapon. And then..."  
"They started making you kill humans?"  
"Ha...hahahaha...yes. That's right. And like before, they said that we're killing bad people. Criminals, corrupt rich people, villains...but then I...I realized that the people we were killing had loved ones. Spouses, children, friends, relatives...even pets."

The memory returned to him. It was choppy, but the parts that stayed remained clear as the day it happened.

Axl had killed a man who lived alone. He felt no regrets then, especially not when Red placed his hand on his shoulder and said to him, "Good job. You see what happens when you do bad things? You die alone, just like him—"

Red was interrupted by barking. The deceased target's bulldog ran towards them, from the corridor. It stopped in front of its master's body and gently licked it. Axl stared at the dog in awe, and confusion stirred within him. He didn't notice the dog lunging at him before it pushed him to the floor, intending to maul his face.

He panicked. He wants to shove the dog away, but it's quite strong. He could kill it, but how could he ever find it in his heart to kill a loyal companion?  
His dilemma was solved when the dog stopped moving, and Axl sat up to see Red's bloody scythe and the dog's corpse falling beside him.

"Axl...Axl!"

Axl saw the interior of Lucielle's room again the moment her angelic voice rang in his ears.

"You didn't respond when I applied the medicine...are you okay?"  
Axl bit his lip. "Flashbacks...I got flashbacks."  
"I guess they...they forced you to do terrible things..."  
"You bet they did. I had influence in Red Alert then, so I wasn't afraid of speaking up. But they wouldn't listen. So I kept hesitating. I questioned the reasons for why our targets deserve to die. Slowly they started to doubt me. Doubt turned into disappointment. Disappointment turned to irritation. Irritation turned into dislike. And dislike...turned into hatred."  
Lucielle said nothing as she fetched a bandage to cover the wound, but she would glance at Axl whenever she could to indicate that she was listening to him.  
"The whole group hates me now. But they forced me to work nevertheless, because I have this stupid power. Every single day, I wake up with dread. I know I would have to meet and speak to people who hate me. It's a terrible feeling..."  
"It must have been really hard." Lucielle remarked as she gently bandaged the wound.  
Axl nodded. "Nobody was on my side. I feel like I live in a place where anyone can kill me and get away with it. I want to escape from all that, but I could never do it. And then..."  
Lucielle continued to expertly bandage his wound as she listened. "And then?"  
"You came along. And everything just becomes better." Axl said, smiling at the end, just as Lucielle finished taking care of his wound.

She walked to face him and returned his grin with a sweet, sincere, angelic smile.  
"I'm glad I can make a positive impact in your life."

Axl responded with a big hug. He pulled her body towards him; her chest touching his, and then the abdomen—the sensation of their skin coming in contact with each other feels heavenly, like they're meant to touch each other all along.  
Lucielle closed her eyes and relaxed as she savoured his warmth. Avoiding his injured back, she returned the hug by wrapping her arms around his hips instead.

They remained like that for a few blissful minutes before Lucielle pulled away.

"E-eh? Why...?"  
Lucielle giggled sweetly. "It's late. It's time for bed."  
Axl nodded, and looked around the room. There's a comfortable enough couch in the room, but...  
"Lucielle...do you...mind sharing a bed with me?"  
Lucielle laughed. "Of course not! How could I make you sleep on the couch? My bed is big enough for two anyways."

Axl smiled, blushing. What a pure maiden. His thinking was a bit...different, but it's not like he's a dirty fucker like Warfly anyways.

"Here, you can take these. I'll be changing my clothes for a bit." Lucielle said as she gave Axl a baggy T-shirt and shorts from her wardrobe. She then goes into the bathroom to change clothes after picking an outfit to wear.

Just as Axl was finished with putting the clothes on, Lucielle walked out the bathroom wearing the sexiest, most attractive nightgown ever—it is a light, pale green nightgown. The shade was just right; pale and light, fitting for a beautiful young lady, but not as bright as to make her look childish. The colour of the dress makes her beautiful dark brown hair and blue eyes stand out magnificently.  
The neckline of the dress is a low V, showing off her cleavage. The skirt is short, reaching a few inches below her crotch. The dress itself gradually fades into transparency from top to bottom, with the bottom of the skirt being the most transparent part.

Axl could only stare in awe, with wide eyes and blushing cheeks. He has never seen someone—something—anything so beautiful before. It's a wonder his nose doesn't bleed.

"How does it feel?" Lucielle asked. "I hope my clothes fit you well."

Okay, that wasn't the question he was expecting—but it was still something he liked hearing. Even now, after she's done patching him up, her thoughts are still of him—

"Yes! Definitely! And-and—you're beautiful, yourself..." was the only thing Axl could say.  
Lucielle giggled. How many times has this sweet girl giggled? It doesn't matter. He enjoys hearing it nevertheless. "Thank you, and..."

Lucielle pauses as her cheeks turned a slight pink.

"You're...quite good-looking yourself, you know..."

Axl grinned. Well, this is going to be the first relationship of his that's definitely going somewhere, right? Going...really...fast.

Lucielle turned the lights off, and then both of them then got on the bed, positioning themselves really close to each other. Their faces are inches away from touching.

"Hey..." Lucielle spoke up, whispering.  
"What is it?" Axl responded. Is she going to tell him something really important and intimate? What if she intends to—  
"How are you feeling? Did...did I do a good job?"

Oh. Okay.

"I mean..." Lucielle continued, "It's not like I don't have confidence in my abilities, it's just that I'm not an actual medic...I don't work as one, but I do try my best..."  
"Oh, no! You were really good!"  
"Really? You were in pain when I applied the alcohol and medicine..."  
"That's normal. It happened to me even with the best medics in Red Alert when I was still one of the high-class members. In fact, it hurt less when you were doing it."  
"Oh, thank goodness..."  
"I...I'm afraid of being left in the hands of the workers. I know they don't care. All they care about is getting paid. I'm afraid that they'd put others before me or leave me unattended for some time, or...um...yeah, you know..."  
Lucielle nodded. "I understand. I completely understand. I know that somewhere in my memories, I know that they're all like that, so that's why, I..."

Suddenly, Axl gently moved his hand to hold Lucielle's.

"Lucielle...thank you. I'd rather...I'd rather be here with you, than be alone on the medbay's bed."  
Lucielle smiled widely, her eyes full of happiness. She almost looks like she's about to cry.

"Thank you...thank you, Axl..."  
"I should be the one thanking you, Lucielle. Good night...my princess."

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** HAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! oh my lord. this chapter. This chapter. THIS CHAPTER. Made-and still does make-me go insane. I swear, Mary Sue stories-the early, most obnoxious ones at least-should count as erotica because of the purple prose on the female lead and/or the male love interest in CERTAIN situations. But first things first..._

 _Lucielle does NOT embody my ideologies. She is NOT someone you're supposed to root for. She is someone who will accomplish many things in the story and spout ideals and when you watch her, you CRINGE. Not CHEER. You are supposed to watch her and cringe, preferably to the point of laughter. My target demographic is people who do this, and come back for more. That said:_

 _No, I do NOT think suicidal people are weak. I've felt suicidal before. And snapped out of it. And felt it again. Repeat. This on-off thing has gone on for far too many times to count, and I won't say-nor will I let anybody say-that I was, or am weak for being that way. Everyone's got a breaking point. Life is hard, so I won't blame anyone to be somewhere beyond their breaking point and reacting accordingly. Have you ever felt so much pain that the only exit or cure is death? The next time you try mocking suicidal people or suicide victims for being "weak," try answering that question yourself._

 _I am only exploiting the trope of "ALL the working professionals don't actually CARE" and do not believe in it myself. That trope in itself is bullshit because customer service/front-line workers are people, too. Some care more or less than others, but people have conscience. Films use that trope to justify the leads taking action in their own hands, but I don't think it's a very nice thing to do, since media shapes culture, and culture shapes people. Don't believe me? Look up how Jaws alters people's perception of sharks, and consequently the shark population. Peter Benchley, the writer of the novel himself, regretted it._

 _OKAY. With the heavy stuff over, let's move to the light-hearted aspects of the author's notes. CRINGE WITH ME._

 _I HAVE SINNED. I HAVE DESECRATED AXL SO VERY MUCH TO THE POINT HE'S BEYOND UNRECOGNIZABLE, IF IT'S EVEN POSSIBLE. YOU CAN JUST SEE WHERE I BROKE. WHERE THE NARRATION JUST. BROKE. Or at least, I can see where I broke, because...I...was the one who broke? lel.  
Axl unexpectedly gets himself a backstory. But I think it's for the better. I think it makes him more...relatable? If it's even possible with the mangled state of his character. Some people might identify with it. Or at least, I do. _

_What happened to light-hearted? Anyways, I wrote some of my feelings in Axl's backstory-waking up anxious to go to school because I fucked up yesterday, afraid of stepping into a place where everyone around me hates me and wished I was never there; losing the love given to you through no fault of your own and your beloved parent turning painfully abusive; your life being (possibly) a lie crafted for the benefit of the liar that used you? Yeah, they've all been real for me. And I'm pretty sure that they've been real for someone else somewhere, too._


End file.
